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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24798469">Tiny Fragile Shells</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/funniefriend1245/pseuds/funniefriend1245'>funniefriend1245</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Art, Inspired by Fanart, Leaves from the vine, Off-screen Character Death, Post-Funeral</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:27:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>673</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24798469</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/funniefriend1245/pseuds/funniefriend1245</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"This is a sacred place, my nephew."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Iroh &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Katara &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Sokka &amp; Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong &amp; Zuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>211</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tiny Fragile Shells</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/shelllessturtle/gifts">shelllessturtle</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by: https://www.deviantart.com/ceshira/art/Brave-Soldier-boy-325894290<br/>https://ceshira.tumblr.com/post/31079249573/brave-soldier-boy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>They sipped tea, the quiet broken by birdsong. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"This is a sacred place, my nephew."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He didn't respond, but looked at his uncle. Iroh didn't meet Zuko's eyes, but gazed thoughtfully up at the leaves of the great tree. He was in no rush, it seemed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Why is that, Uncle?" </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A great sadness passed over the old man's face. "It was not far from here," he said quietly, "that my dear Lu Ten died." He looked at Zuko and though he did not smile, there was great kindness in his gaze. "I come here on anniversaries now. Every time I need to feel close to him. Every culture has a way of honoring their dead. This is the method I've chosen."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Zuko poured more tea. "I understand," he said at last. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He did.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was not prepared for his uncle to start singing, a quiet and simple lullaby. He let the tears fall freely, letting them honor the cousin he barely got to know. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Thank you for bringing me here, Uncle," he said, once the final quavering note had faded into the breeze. He laid a hand on Iroh's shoulder, still awkward and uncomfortable with initiating affection.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Thank you for coming with me." Iroh reached up and grasped Zuko's hand with one of his own and held it tightly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>---</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko walked purposefully up the hill, basket over one arm. He did not slouch under the weight of what he needed to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shady tree stood, magnificent as always, against the brilliantly blue sky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knelt down in </span>
  <em>
    <span>the spot</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just beneath the single fork in the trunk. The canopy of leaves was fuller now, he noticed as he unpacked his basket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had forgotten the tea leaves, he realized. He lit the incense sticks with fingers that trembled, and set them in front of the portrait of Iroh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Happy birthday, Uncle," he managed to say. "I'm sorry I forgot the tea. But I remembered dumplings. And mochi!" He gestured at the portrait with the cakes, before he remembered. His eyes prickled. "I'm messing it up," he groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, Zuko, you're not." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko stiffened. "How'd you know where to find me?" he asked without turning around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Instinct?" said another voice. There was the sound of a slap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We gave a general description and asked if anyone had seen you," said the first voice again. Aang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Plus, I looked for you," Toph's voice said quietly. Right - she had known Uncle too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko scrubbed a hand across his eyes before standing up to meet them. They were all there: Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where's Suki?" he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She cleared out the shop," Katara said. She stepped forward and hugged him. He sagged into her embrace, keenly aware at that moment how much he'd missed her - missed all of them. "Do you want us to go?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," he said, probably too quickly, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "If--if you don't mind, that is." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nowhere else we'd rather be," Sokka said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We're here for you,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he heard them say, and his throat clenched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aang had brought tea leaves, because he was possessed with Avatar wisdom, probably, and they sat in a semicircle around the portrait as the incense burned and ate dumplings and passed around tea in the single cup that Zuko had brought. </span>
  <span>Occasionally they traded stories, but they were content to sit quietly, honoring one of the greatest men the world had ever known with a cup of tea shared among friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko took a deep breath, and began to sing quietly, in a voice that was barely over a whisper. His shoulders shuddered, and he felt two hands, one on each of his own shoulders. His tears fell freely. He continued to sing the sweet, gentle lullaby to his uncle's memory and felt as though he might break, until the hands became a four-person embrace, holding him together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Brave soldier boy</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Zuko rasped, then stopped, too choked with tears to continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Comes marching home," Aang finished. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My dear friend Shelllessturtle sent me the fanart. This is what emerged from my brain 45 minutes later. Shellless told me this was revenge; I told them...they may be right. </p><p>I typed this entirely on my phone, around midnight. All mistakes are mine, though Shellless did give it a brief beta job.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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